Plans for international flights to Cooks' Aitutaki

The Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce says it wants Aitutaki's airport brought up to international standard.

A meeting earlier this month in Rarotonga focussing on how to grow tourism in the Cooks had called on the government to initiate infrastructure upgrades, including to transport.

The Chamber president, Steve Lyon, says there is enormous potential on Aitutaki but accessibility remains an issue.

He said the airport was big enough to take flights directly from overseas and he said the upgrades needed would focus on such things as safety features.

"The domestic flight is about 45, 50 minute flight from Rarotonga but of course if you are looking at coming here from somewhere else the airfare up there is quite expensive. It is almost the same as the international airfare or at least a significant proportion of it, so it is an expensive extra trip. But if it was developed with its own international access it would become a destination in its own right."